


revolving lantern

by aetherae



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-10-19 13:36:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10640904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aetherae/pseuds/aetherae
Summary: They love each other with all the words there ever were.





	1. things you said that i wish you hadn't

**Author's Note:**

> what originally started as prompt fills for a friend on tumblr turned into me wanting to do all the prompts for 2b and 9s LMFAO. i just love these sad androids!! and suffering i guess SCREAMS. so here comes this, a drabble series focused on them and how much they pain me. expect spoilers for the entire game, read at your own risk and discretion, etc etc.

“People who know me well usually call me ‘Nines,’ so…” 

2B almost freezes where she stands. Almost. She’s heard this too many times for it to hurt still.  _  
_

_My friends call me ‘Nines,’ and…_ _  
_

_So everyone close to me calls me ‘Nines’…_ _  
_

_Is it that weird? I like it when people call me ‘Nines’!_ _  
_

_You can call me ‘Nines,’ if you want. I’m not sure who called me by that first, but…_ _  
_

_‘Nines’? Yeah, I like it! Thank y—_ _  
_

“I mean, if you want to call me Nines, it’s totally okay.” 

Behind her blindfold, her eyes screw shut, and she pretends she hasn’t done this before.

“I’m good.” 

2B almost says differently. Almost.

She’s tried too many times to believe this can change.


	2. things you said when you thought i was asleep

9S should’ve gotten up by now—after all, he’s the one who does maintenance—but he can’t bring himself to look forward to running through the desert again, not when he’ll have to take off his shoes just to dump out all the sand in them. Besides, their last battle was a doozy, and even if repairs were already done, the NFCS circuits could probably use a break. So with his blindfold next to him, he lies in bed just a little longer than he should instead. 

Okay, maybe a lot longer. 

“9S? Are you awake yet?” 

He _really_ should get up now, but still, he doesn’t open his eyes. It’d be embarrassing to look like he was woken up by her when he should’ve been the one waking her up in the first place. Still, he doesn’t want to keep her waiting, not when she’s probably been ready to go for a while now. 

_I’ll get up if she tries to rouse me awake,_ he barters with himself.  

She doesn’t. He expects to feel her hand shaking his shoulder at any moment, but there’s nothing save for her presence and the murmur of the Resistance Camp outside their room. 2B continues to stand there, and he almost wonders if she’ll stay like that, standing silently by him until he gets up on his own. It’d be so like her to do that instead of just waking her up himself. He has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. 

But then she sighs, heavy and tired. And—sad, he realizes. Whatever she’s thinking of, it’s enough to make the sound of her voice alone sound _sad_. He’s about to sit up and ask what’s wrong when he feels her hand on his forehead, her fingers gentle as she brushes back his hair. 

“I’m sorry I can never protect you, 9S.” 

She draws her hand back, and he can hear her close the door behind her soon after. 

9S doesn’t get up for a long, long time.

 


	3. things you said after it was over

The world goes to hell in a handbasket, and 2B doesn’t pretend to think for even a second that she’ll make it out of this in one piece.

Then again, the world went to hell a long time ago. She never would’ve been made if it hadn’t. Still, it’s an odd feeling to be the one getting chased down by fellow YoRHa operatives instead of the other way around for once. In a way, maybe she deserves this.

But even as she hurtles out of the sky, she thinks that this isn’t all bad.

9S will live, and she won’t kill him.

It’s all she thinks about it even as the machines surround her. As the virus spreads. As her circuits fry and she can’t even lift her sword. As she drags her body through the city ruins.

As she dies.

_9S will live, and I won’t kill him. 9S will live, and I won’t kill him. 9S will live. I don’t have to kill him._

She falls to her knees right in front of the shopping complex, her sword shoved into the ground, and she thinks for one ridiculous second her only regret is not wearing a t-shirt. It could’ve been nice. No, she knows it would’ve been nice. Nines would’ve been there, so it could only be nice.

He’s even there as she dies, and see? This isn’t so bad.

“Oh… Nines…”

_Look_ , she wants to tell him, _This time, I protected you._

The first and the last time. It’s enough.


	4. things you said with too many miles between us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now featuring a2, crazy!! i admit that this is really silly and light-hearted, probably bordering on ooc, but the recital drama info has left me In Fear, and i wanted something cute and happy for once. sue me, i’m gonna let these android kids be happy!!

“Do you think she’s alright?”

“For the thousandth time, obviously.”

“Yeah, but—”

A2 groans, sliding down the sand dunes as fast as possible. When Anemone said she needed some materials, it didn’t sound hard. Go to the desert, find some pieces, boom. Of course, it wasn’t until after she agreed that she found out there were multiple hotspots for the items, that 2B and 9S were going too, and that since she didn’t have a Pod of her own, she’d be going with one of them for communication purposes while the other checked out the other spot.

She thinks it’s a bunch of bullshit, and she tells Anemone as much. The Resistance leader only laughs and tells her to haul ass already.

2B insists on going by herself to the forest, despite knowing how things went down between her and the kid, and she has—no, who is she kidding. A2 knows exactly why her lookalike insists having her go with 9S rather than let him go it alone. Whether or not 2B thinks he can handle things alone after everything that happened, it doesn’t matter. Her priorities have always been crystal clear to her, even before everything, and this doesn’t change any of that.

The fact that she trusts her to take care of him still, even after how disastrous the first time around went though? Even after seeing 2B’s entire life for herself, A2 doesn’t understand her.

After transporting to the desert, she expects it to go as it usually does whenever 9S is around. No matter how long ago it was, awkward silences and tense replies are still about the best he could do with her. It suits her just fine—the more silent, the better.

Except despite everything that’s happened between them, all the misunderstandings and anger and anguish, 9S _will not shut up_ about 2B.

“But what if something happens?”

“Like what?”

“Like… I dunno, a new hostile machine appears.” There haven’t been any in ages. “Or one of those giant trees fall on her.” Unlikely. “Or the animals go on a rampage and attack.”

“For the love of—she’s a combat model, isn’t she? She can take care of some dumbass machine, not to mention a goddamn tree.”

“Sheesh, you don’t have to be so mad about it.”

“And you don’t have to spend every waking seco—”

“Incoming transmission from YoRHa unit 2B.”

“What?! Put her on!”

Pod 153 puts the display on, and A2 almost wants to gag. All they do is ask each other if they’re okay, if things have been alright, how the other’s been. Never mind that they’re fully aware of each others’ combat capabilities, that there’s almost zero reason for any of them to be worried, and that they’ll all probably be seeing each other again in a few hours. Maybe a day or two, tops, depending on how hard the materials are to find.

Everything about it is ridiculous. When she looks over to 9S as he talks to 2B through their Pods, she scoffs. 9S, as he always does, smiles almost impossibly wide to the screen, but she actually catches 2B smiling back. Small, soft even, but there.

They’re happy. Something as simple as this makes them happy.

Somehow, she thinks it makes her happy too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also LMFAO DANG thank you everyone for the kudos and comments! i'm glad so many people wanna suffer with me I MEAN— but for real, thank you so much, and i hope you enjoy the rest of this if you're keeping up as i.... slowly..... work my way through it lol


	5. things you said through your teeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring a2 once again, but this time IN A SAD WAY. i guess i can never get away from being depressing. honestly this might be more of a character study on a2 than actual 2b9s, but eh, it is what it is and that's what this prompt inspired me to write. contains light spoilers for the one of the recital dramas (basically what the context is for that drama), so if you haven't checked those out but wanted to, please read that instead!!

By all means, A2 should be losing. 

It’s one against two, maybe against four if she counts the boxes that won’t stop shooting at her, the YoRHa units in front of her both beat her specs by leagues and leagues and leagues, and the one called “2B” might be one of the deadliest combat models she’s ever seen. Every blow lands with enough force to crush a head, every dodge so fluid and graceful she almost thinks Command’s figured out how to code sheer instinct instead of programming. If these are the combat models these days, she wouldn’t be surprised to see this war actually won.

She should be losing. She should’ve already lost. As she closes the distance between her and the scanner only for 2B to throw her sword at her, she knows she’s already won.

Even with a weapon of his own, the scanner’s the easier—and more dangerous—one by far. A2 could take out a horde of machines blind, but defending her own inner workings goes beyond what she knows. If he managed to succeed in hacking her, it would be over. She targets him without fail, his hand a second too slow to draw his sword every time, and his partner comes to defend him without fail. 2B defends 9S against every charge and every attack, even as her endurance falters, even as her weapons break.

This girl wasn’t made for this. A2 knows it, and so does she. But despite the girl’s target standing right before her, despite the blindfold that hides her from reality, A2 knows exactly who her attention is focused on.

It reminds her of Number 4, and it’s why she knows she’ll win.

A2 fights with nothing to lose. 2B fights with everything to lose.

“Just get out of here!” 2B barks through grit teeth. She deflects A2’s sword with the broken shaft of her spear, her feet sliding underneath her with the weight of it. It’s only a matter of time. “Retreat and report back to Comma—!”

“I’m not leaving you here!”

“I don’t matter, ju—”

9S draws his sword and charges with a shout, 2B yelling over him even as she defends herself, but it doesn’t matter. A2 doesn’t stop for a second in her assault on her successor, and the moment the scanner swings his blade at her, she steps aside effortlessly from the both of them to run her blade through his neck.

She barely gives the girl time to register what even happened. 2B’s grip on her weapon goes slack, but before she can say his name, A2 spins around and does the same to her.

They fall with their hands stretched out towards each other. She knows that they’ll come back soon enough through the Bunker. There’s even a good chance they’ll come after her again. As she looks down at them though, at their fingertips just almost brushing against each other, she knows without a doubt that no matter what they do, they’ll come back together.

She thinks she envies that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoko taro says that in a 1v1 fair fight, type-e units are THE strongest yorha unit there is. it made me wonder how 2b manages to lose to a2 multiple times then, but when i thought about it, the answer seemed pretty obvious haha.


	6. things you said while we were driving

9S has done a lot of things in his life. He’s flown from space, controlled machine bodies like they were his own, even died more times than he’ll ever know. He’s felt pain, known hatred unlike anything else, has felt his heart quicken from the sinking sort of fear that settles deep into his bones. If he ever stopped to think about it, he’d realize that it’s a rather wide variety of experiences.

The fear that comes from speeding down a sand dune in a rickety-old truck though? This is definitely something new.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive, 2B? I don’t think we’re supposed to be going this fa—!”

“It’s fine,” she mutters, but he can barely hear her over the sound of her shifting gears. The truck rattles around, desperately trying to hold itself together. “Just fasten your seatbelt tighter.”

Honestly, it’s a miracle they were even able to get the truck this far into the desert. When the Resistance needed supplies delivered to a new outpost in the desert, they all quickly realized that the materials were too large and too numerous to go through the transporters. Even though it would take longer, the only way to get them to the desert would be to drive them.

“You guys think you’ll be okay with this?” Anemone asked, hand patting the dusty hull of the truck. “If we weren’t spread so thin right now, I’d just wait till one of the others came back and ask them to make the drive.”

2B hummed softly, folding her arms as she looked at the vehicle. “We’ve piloted flight units before. This should be easy in comparison.”

“Yeah! Besides, I bet it’ll be fun! It’s not everyday we get to use functioning equipment from the old world.” He could barely contain himself from bouncing around the truck in excitement.

Anemone only eyed them silently before giving them the okay and explaining how to operate it. 2B instantly slid into the driver’s seat, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t get to drive it himself, but he figured he’d have his turn on the way back.

Now, he’s not sure if they’ll be making the drive back at all.

“Warning: Further pressing on the gas pedal may result in the engine stalling,” warns Pod 042 as they try to make their way up another hill.

“Maybe try switching the gear back to 2? Or was it 3 for uphill, I don’t remember which Anemone said was for what.”

2B says nothing, but with how he hears her gloves strain from the force of her grip on the steering wheel, he briefly thinks she’s having more of a fight with this vehicle than she has with any machine. It’s slow going, and he thinks the engine will give out from all the sand more than once, until they finally make it to the top of the hill. Only for even more sand dunes to stretch out seemingly endlessly before them. Beside him, 2B sighs.

“I’m going to give the gas pedal a bit of a break. Get ready.”

“Wait, get ready for wha—”

She gives the pedal one more light push, and then they’re tipping over, racing down a giant stretch of sand with nothing to stop them. He’s moved faster in a flight unit honestly, and this is far from the most dangerous situation he’s ever been, but something about it sets his heart racing. Maybe it’s the way the truck shakes the entire way, or maybe it’s because he’s not the one in control of driving and steering, but when he looks over at 2B to yell for help, he sees just the tiniest grin on her face, eyes wide and mouth open as if to laugh, and—

He laughs with her.

“WOOO!” he shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. “YEAAAH, KEEP GOING!!” 

The two of them laugh and yell the whole way down, only stopping when they finally lose momentum partway up the next hill. 2B quickly puts the truck into park and turns to him with one of the most carefree smiles he’s ever seen her with, teeth showing and cheeks red. He grins right back at her.

“Let’s do that again!”

“Are you sure?” He doesn’t even hesitate to nod, even with both of their pods almost frantically spouting off warnings. She nods back and sets her hand back on the gear, engine revving and raring to go. “Alright. Get ready and hang on, Nines.”

It’s going to be a long ride, and their materials might not survive the trip, but honestly? He wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was pretty silly, but i actually got through writing this really quickly, so maybe that's why LOL. if ending l is anything to go by, 2b actually has something of a thrill seeker in her, and i guess that's where some of this comes from. really though, i just wanted something light-hearted.
> 
> also idk why i picked stickshift for them to drive, but idk how to drive stickshift, so hopefully their lack of knowledge about it seems authentic.


	7. things you didn't say at all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by daft punk's 'something about us'

This time, when she receives the message to execute 9S, she doesn’t even blink. Her partner meets up with her for a mission like always, and they head towards their destination like always, even though she knows there isn’t really a mission there for 9S like always. It’s only for her. Like always.

He talks to her their entire way there like always, too, but she can’t hear any of it. She can’t hear anything outside of her own head.

She wants to tell him: _Why can’t you trust the Commander like I asked you to?_

She wants to tell him: _Why can’t you trust me like I asked you to?_

She wants to tell him: _I’m sorry that I have to do this to you._

She wants to tell him: _I don’t want to do this to you._

Instead, as they reach their destination, she calls out to him, “Nines.”

“Hm?” He turns around easily, half a grin already forming. “What is it, 2B?”

Her sword slides easily through his throat. He doesn’t even have time to be surprised before Pod 042 confirms his death. She removes her blade in one fluid sweep, and he drops straight to the ground, lifeless.

This time, he didn’t struggle. She thinks it might have been a mercy for her.

She wants to tell him: _I miss you. I always miss you._

But she can’t. She never can.


End file.
